FORTY years in the past this week, my dad turned into marking the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of this country’s expert police force in his column of June 16, 1979. Over the months following the object, many occasions have been deliberately nationally to mark the occasion, along with living shows, parades, offerings, and indicates.
Another souvenir changed into the e-book of a few commemorative stamps, and what interested me had been the costs. At that time, a primary magnificence stamp was just 10p, and the new 10p stamp featured a bobby at the beat, at the same time as the 13p become a girl police officer on horseback. The 15p became the photo of a police patrol boat on responsibility. But the only that made me take maximum word featured an officer directing traffic. That one could set you returned 11½p.
I’d nearly forgotten we used to have 1/2 pieces until I study dad’s column.
Although they weren’t in lifestyles for that length, they had been around for a maximum of my adolescence, added in February 1971 as a part of decimalization. It turned into well worth approximately the same as 1.2 pence in antique cash so that it’d make the re-pricing of lower-fee items extra accurate. It bit the dirt in December 1984 whilst it becomes no longer considered a useful member of our coinage own family.
I’d also forgotten that returned then, it was viable to shop for an unmarried halfpenny stamp, and although it has in no way officially been withdrawn, it stopped being bought from June 21, 1985. Ha’penny stamps had been best issued in turquoise, even though there have been many versions over time, and some are pretty prized with the aid of creditors.
An authentic from the 1970s ought to today set you returned whatever from 15p to £25, and if you have any lurking on your drawers, you may legally nonetheless use them. However, glaringly you’d use on your envelope to make it as much as around penny.
The half of pence came in available on pocket money days after I tried to eke out my 10p allowance whilst scrutinizing the array of candies on the penny tray. You had to ask the man behind the counter at the put-up workplace to bring it out, which best added pleasure and expectation.
He could then wait patiently whilst I dithered about what to choose. Should I be canny and pass all halfpenny fruit salad chews, that means I’d get two times as many goodies for my 10p? But then wouldn’t or not it’s a piece boring having all of the same factors whilst there were such a lot of other tempting delights on offer?
What about the only penny foam bananas and the shrimps? Or the alien ship, which had been like holy communion wafers, however, with fizzy sherbet inside the center? Or the stunning crimson Bubbly bubble gum? I don’t assume I became ever tempted by that aniseedy reprobate, the blackjack. But then, who changed into?
I would generally select an aggregate of halfpenny and penny sweets to feel that I’d were given my money’s worth, after which make my hoard last as long as feasible. But from time to time, I’d throw caution to the wind and purchase the extravagantly-priced Refresher chunk, a large chunk of a sweet that could position your jaw out, however, it becomes well worth it whilst you bought to the sherbet in the center.
At 2p a pop, although, it took a vast bite out of my 10p budget. I had the same predicament over the Swizzle double lolly, a slightly fizzy, slightly powdery but tough ball of deliciousness that, if you have been savvy along with your sucking, may want to ultimate most of the afternoon.
If I was without a doubt lucky, I had extra money from a birthday or Christmas. Then I would go all out and purchase a double lolly, maybe even two, a sticky Drumstick lolly, and possibly a few candy cigarettes, and most excitingly, a quarter of rainbow crystals.
This turned into basically only a bag of colored fizzy sugar, which I’d then spend all day dipping my lollies into. It may additionally be terrible for my enamel, but boy did it flavor good. You can still purchase many of the candies that we used to like, and there are lots of websites promoting those glucose-encumbered blasts from the past. I’m tempted to move and order my favorites, although I’m no longer positive I’ll have any success finding halfpenny chews nowadays.
